GILGIT, May 11: The World Bank will contribute Rs960m for the Rs1200m second phase of Northern Areas Education Project, while the remaining Rs240m would be borne by the government. At the inaugural session of a two-day workshop here, World Bank’s human resources development specialist for South Asia region, Mark LaPrairie, said it was the second WB-aided project in the N. Areas and aimed at improving the system of education in this part of the country. He said that experiences had helped the WB managers understand the enormous changes and developments taking place in Northern Areas.

“Now the region has almost 150,000 students in primary, middle and high schools. The education department has produced annual computerized statistics, a network of education officials and numerous other elements are part of a functioning modern education system. All this was absent in the region some four decades ago”.

He said considering the challenges of geography and remoteness, which people in the region were facing, the growth and improvements in the education sector were remarkable. He said there was still much to be done, like quality education and upgrading the education system.

He said the project would include training teachers, providing adequate school buildings and producing education statistics to enable policy makers to make proper choices.